right?”
Kate sighed. “We used to be.”
“I think there’s more to this marriage between Samantha and DeMarco than she’s letting on.”
Kate wrung her hands in her lap.
“What do you think?”
“I don’t think Sam’s in love with her husband,” Kate blurted. “I think something fishy is going on, but I don’t have a clue what it is.”
“Do you feel betrayed by your friend?”
“I do.”
“How long have you worked for the LA Beat ?”
“It’ll be seven years next week.”
“I’m going to give you a chance to show me what you’re made of.”
Kate leaned forward. “How?”
“I want you to find it inside your heart to forgive Samantha and befriend her, earn her trust. Assuming you’ll be invited into the house Samantha shares with her new husband, I want you to take note of anything and everything you see, and then report back to me. I want one thousand words about their living arrangements—everything and anything you can find out about the newlyweds.”
“She’ll know it was me.”
Mitzy shrugged. “What do you care after what she did to you? Besides, you’ll be writing under the pen name Liliana Parker. She can’t prove a thing. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. You would have to make it worth my while.”
“Five thousand dollars every time you hand over one thousand words. Make them good, though. Don’t waste your time or mine.”
Kate seemed to be thinking it over.
Mitzy refused to let Samantha Johnston, a filing clerk, get away with humiliating her in front of the world. Something was going on between Samantha Johnston and Dominic DeMarco and she wasn’t going to be the last to find out what it was. “If you can’t handle this project, then I’ll be passing the opportunity on to Carrie Hucksley.”
Kate snapped to attention. “I’ll do it.”
***
It was eleven o’clock by the time Sam slipped the key Maria had given her into the door at Dominic’s house. She didn’t want to wake him, so she told Ken to wait in the car while she brought her things inside, starting with her cat.
Ken had offered to drive her, which had saved her time and taxi money. She placed the carrier inside the front entry, then turned back toward the door and nearly knocked into Ken, who had ignored her request and followed her inside the house.
“Where have you been?”
Sam whipped around, surprised to see Dominic standing in the darker shadows of the entryway. His expression was surly, but he looked amazingly handsome in a pair of loose-fitting gray sweats and a snug black T-shirt.
She straightened her spine, refusing to back down just because he was in one of his moods. “After work, I stopped by my apartment to get my things.”
Dominic gestured with his chin toward Ken. “And who’s your friend?”
Ken handed her the fishbowl. Water sloshed over the sides, but he was intent on meeting her celebrity husband, despite the angry look on Dominic’s face.
Ken had talked nonstop while she gathered the things she would need. Then, while she’d gone to her neighbor’s place to get Shakespeare and her fish, Hamlet, Ken had gone through her kitchen cupboards and started dinner. She’d been too tired and too busy packing her things to bother protesting, but now it was eleven o’clock and Dominic was not pleased. “Dominic,” she said, “this is Ken.” Then she placed the fishbowl on the entry table.
Ken held out a hand for Dominic to shake.
Dominic ignored the offered hand and stepped right past him, approaching Sam instead. Without speaking another word, he took her into his arms and kissed her good and long. His mouth was warm, the kiss intoxicating. When he finally pulled away, Sam felt blood rush to her cheeks before she rambled on nervously. “Ken was at my apartment when I went to get my things. He was kind enough to help me pack,” she explained, her tongue tripping over every word. “Then he insisted on driving me home so I wouldn’t have to take a
Kate sighed. “We used to be.”
“I think there’s more to this marriage between Samantha and DeMarco than she’s letting on.”
Kate wrung her hands in her lap.
“What do you think?”
“I don’t think Sam’s in love with her husband,” Kate blurted. “I think something fishy is going on, but I don’t have a clue what it is.”
“Do you feel betrayed by your friend?”
“I do.”
“How long have you worked for the LA Beat ?”
“It’ll be seven years next week.”
“I’m going to give you a chance to show me what you’re made of.”
Kate leaned forward. “How?”
“I want you to find it inside your heart to forgive Samantha and befriend her, earn her trust. Assuming you’ll be invited into the house Samantha shares with her new husband, I want you to take note of anything and everything you see, and then report back to me. I want one thousand words about their living arrangements—everything and anything you can find out about the newlyweds.”
“She’ll know it was me.”
Mitzy shrugged. “What do you care after what she did to you? Besides, you’ll be writing under the pen name Liliana Parker. She can’t prove a thing. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. You would have to make it worth my while.”
“Five thousand dollars every time you hand over one thousand words. Make them good, though. Don’t waste your time or mine.”
Kate seemed to be thinking it over.
Mitzy refused to let Samantha Johnston, a filing clerk, get away with humiliating her in front of the world. Something was going on between Samantha Johnston and Dominic DeMarco and she wasn’t going to be the last to find out what it was. “If you can’t handle this project, then I’ll be passing the opportunity on to Carrie Hucksley.”
Kate snapped to attention. “I’ll do it.”
***
It was eleven o’clock by the time Sam slipped the key Maria had given her into the door at Dominic’s house. She didn’t want to wake him, so she told Ken to wait in the car while she brought her things inside, starting with her cat.
Ken had offered to drive her, which had saved her time and taxi money. She placed the carrier inside the front entry, then turned back toward the door and nearly knocked into Ken, who had ignored her request and followed her inside the house.
“Where have you been?”
Sam whipped around, surprised to see Dominic standing in the darker shadows of the entryway. His expression was surly, but he looked amazingly handsome in a pair of loose-fitting gray sweats and a snug black T-shirt.
She straightened her spine, refusing to back down just because he was in one of his moods. “After work, I stopped by my apartment to get my things.”
Dominic gestured with his chin toward Ken. “And who’s your friend?”
Ken handed her the fishbowl. Water sloshed over the sides, but he was intent on meeting her celebrity husband, despite the angry look on Dominic’s face.
Ken had talked nonstop while she gathered the things she would need. Then, while she’d gone to her neighbor’s place to get Shakespeare and her fish, Hamlet, Ken had gone through her kitchen cupboards and started dinner. She’d been too tired and too busy packing her things to bother protesting, but now it was eleven o’clock and Dominic was not pleased. “Dominic,” she said, “this is Ken.” Then she placed the fishbowl on the entry table.
Ken held out a hand for Dominic to shake.
Dominic ignored the offered hand and stepped right past him, approaching Sam instead. Without speaking another word, he took her into his arms and kissed her good and long. His mouth was warm, the kiss intoxicating. When he finally pulled away, Sam felt blood rush to her cheeks before she rambled on nervously. “Ken was at my apartment when I went to get my things. He was kind enough to help me pack,” she explained, her tongue tripping over every word. “Then he insisted on driving me home so I wouldn’t have to take a
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